Many people are intrigued by
the idea of time travel. If there could
only be a machine that would be able to bring us back into the past and hear,
personally, Abraham Lincoln’s delivery of the Gettysburg Address, or to
experience how things were in the days of Christopher Columbus, or to go back
to the time of Moses when the Red Sea was parted! Or it could bring us into the future to
marvel at the technological advances of mankind. This idea, of course, has been used in a
number of science fiction movies and television shows.
Here Comes the Past
While time travel is not a
reality, it seems that the Catholic Church claims to enjoy some sort of time
travel concept. “How absurd,” you may
respond, “to say that Catholics believe any such thing!” But consider the Catholic Church’s teaching
on the Eucharist. According to the
Catholic Catechism (CCC #1104, #1375, #1413, #1566), the past is not just
brought to mind, but actually “made present” when the communion bread and wine
are consecrated by the priest. That is, during
the mass, the event of Jesus Christ giving His flesh and blood on the cross is
“mysteriously” made present… today… now.
According to the Catholic Church, Calvary (that event which happened
2000 years ago) is actually somehow transported across time, to this present
moment for the one who partakes of Catholic communion. This is a foundational claim of the Catholic
Church.
“Anamnesis”
Catholics believe this mainly
because they think that Jesus was speaking literally when He said, “This is My
body… this is My blood” (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark
14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20) when breaking bread and pouring out wine at the
Last Supper. He said, “Do this in remembrance of Me”
(Luke 22:19). The Greek word Jesus
used here for “remembrance” is “anamnesis,” and Catholics claim that anamnesis
actually means “to make present,” to “re-present,” or “memorial sacrifice.”
The Catholic Church uses much
flowery and philosophical language to describe this “time travel” event. Now, participating in communion is indeed a
biblical concept, but rather than using a biblical explanation of what’s
happening, they have to resort to the fancy, high-sounding philosophy of
Aristotle (e.g., “substance” and “accidents”) to explain why there is a
supposed change in the bread and wine.
But the truth is, this is not
what the Greek word “anamnesis” really means.
The “Online Etymology Dictionary” defines anamnesis this way:
“Recollection, remembrance,
reminiscence,” 1650s, from Greek anamnesis “a calling to mind, remembrance,”
noun of action from stem of anamimneskein “remember, remind (someone) of
(something), make mention of,” from ana “back” (see ana-) + mimneskesthai “to
recall, cause to remember,” related to mnemnon “mindful,” mneme “memory;” from
PIE root “men-“ (1) “to think.” In Platonic philosophy, “recollection of a
prior life.”
This source says absolutely
nothing about “re-presenting” or
“making present,” or that it is any kind of “sacrifice.” Other reliable sources tell us the same thing
as the previous source:
Strong’s Concordance:
“A recalling, remembrance, memory.”
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon:
“A remembering, recollection;
to call Me (affectionately) to remembrance (Luke 22:19).”
NAS Exhaustive Concordance:
“Remembrance, reminder.”
As for as we can tell, it is only
Catholic, Orthodox, or quasi-Catholic groups that claim that anamnesis means
“to make present.”
Catholic Sources
There are two Bible verses
where Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” and they are Luke
22:19 and 1 Corinthians 11:25.
But even many Catholic Bible
versions like the New American Bible, the Douay Rheims Bible, the Revised
Standard Version-Catholic Edition, and the New Jerusalem Bible, all translate the
word anamnesis in these two verses as either “remembrance,” “memorial,” “memory,”
or “commemoration.” None of these
translate the term as “memorial sacrifice” or “Calvary made present,” or “re-presenting
Christ.”
No doubt, they certainly
would have been happy to translate it that way if they could have, but, in this
particular case, these Catholic Bible versions proved to be true to the
original Greek.
“One and the Same?”
According to the Catholic
Church, the priest’s offering of the Eucharist supposedly “transcends time”
(CCC #1085). It is not another offering of Jesus Christ to God,
but is “one and the same” offering as Calvary (CCC #1367). Therefore, it is bringing the past into the
“now.” Again, this is the stuff of which time machine
stories are made. This is an incredibly bold claim… and it is
also ridiculous and unscriptural. It is
true that the effects of Jesus’ work
on the cross are eternal, perhaps displayed permanently in a Heavenly scene to
remind us forever (Revelation 5:6), but nowhere in the Bible is there an event that is literally brought forward on
earth from the past.
The event of Calvary is no
more actually “made present” today in communion than the death angel was once
again “made present” every time the Jews celebrated the past event of Passover
(Exodus
12:21-25). But it IS something
“made present” mentally, something
remembered. Once again, “Do
this in remembrance of Me” speaks of using one’s mental faculties, not some supernatural time travel experience whereby
a past event is literally made
present.
Catholics may object and say
that they never claimed that the event of Calvary is literally made present in the Eucharist. They seem to go out of their way to avoid
using that specific term concerning Calvary’s
“presence,” but at the same time, they will insist that the bread and wine turn
into His literal body and blood. Furthermore, CCC #1104 says that this ritual
supposedly does not just recall
Calvary, but ACTUALIZES this event. So,
there seem to be some mixed signals here.
More Than You Bargained For!
Furthermore, when describing
the mass, they say things like, “the whole Christ is truly, really, and
substantially contained” in the Eucharist.
In that moment, Christ is present in the “fullest sense,” and He is “wholly
and entirely present” (CCC #1374).
And of course, this is all a
great mystery where He is somehow
“sacramentally” made present (however that’s supposed to work). Once again, the Catholic Church is engaging
in word games.
But no, being exposed to the
“whole Christ” in the “fullest sense” would be describing our state in
HEAVEN. That level of exposure to Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, could only happen when we are in our glorified bodies and then able to endure
His absolute fullness and glory!
Otherwise, like the apostle John, we could not even stand before Him:
And I turned to see the voice that spake
with me…
And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet
as dead… (Revelation 1:12, 17)
This is what happens when a
mere human sees “the whole Christ” in the “fullest sense.” Even John, probably His closest friend, fell as a dead man in Jesus’ “fullest” presence. John was utterly stunned and unable to even
look at Jesus. He was overwhelmed by the
majesty of the Son of God. If the
Eucharist was all that Catholics say it is, no man would be able to stand
before it.
A Dose of Reality
The Catholic concept of Calvary
“made present” is a false teaching to make Catholics believe that they have
more to offer than other churches do.
But their “fullness of truth” is a lie.
Their priesthood is false, and they cannot do what they claim to do in the mass. Their priests are not able to “bring Christ down” from His throne in Heaven, to be “offered
up again,” where He must “bow His head in humble obedience to the priest’s
command,” as one very popular Catholic book describes. This is utter blasphemy. And that source is quoted in this article:
According to the Catholic
Catechism (CCC #1566), when celebrating the Eucharist, it is “From this unique
sacrifice [that] their whole priestly ministry draws its strength.” Well, since the foundation of “this unique
sacrifice” is based on time travel and other unbiblical concepts, it is
therefore false and crumbles beneath the weight of its own outrageous claims.
But why is this ritual
the ultimate experience for Catholics? Why
do they think that physically eating and drinking “Jesus” is the greatest form of worship? Why the focus on the bread and wine, rather
than on His actual work and suffering on the cross? There’s something fishy about this. Jesus said that He wanted believers to
worship Him in spirit and in truth (John
4:23), not by physically eating
Him.
It’s Not About Time Travel
Jesus said nothing whatsoever
about communion being anything more than a holy memorial. Sure, this is indeed a solemn and wonderful event,
during which emotions may be high, and where a deeper appreciation for Calvary
and a deeper love for God may be present, along with sorrow for one’s sins.
But getting the benefits of
Calvary is not time travel. It does not
require God to actually transfer an event from the past to the present
time. God does not have to actually
“make Calvary present” for us to have its benefits. Its benefits are simply received by faith.
The only “mystery” involved is that He would still love us “while
we were yet sinners” (Romans 5:8). In communion, He is making Calvary real to the
hearts of undeserving souls, and making us deeply aware of the magnitude of
what happened at the cross.
Whose Offering?
Again, the Catholic version of the simple ritual of
holy communion amounts to an actual claim of time travel. This is very
important. Since it is not possible and
not biblical to “time travel” and transport the past into the future,
therefore, it is NOT POSSIBLE that the mass and Calvary are “one and the same,”
or “one single sacrifice.”
Sometimes they are accused of
sacrificing Jesus again, but the Catholic Church strongly insists that they are
not, but rather, that they are re-presenting
that one-time, once-for-all sacrifice of Calvary. Well, that might sound good, but that’s not what’s happening. Only Jesus, Himself, was able to make this
offer (Calvary), and He will NOT do it again.
No one can offer Him as a
sacrifice. And no one can re-offer Him. No one can present Him as a sacrifice and no one can re-present Him. He cannot be
“presented anew.”
One last time: It is
impossible for Him to be offered up again, since 1) Only HE, HIMSELF, could
make the offer, not man; and 2) He said it would be ONCE FOR ALL (Hebrews
7:26-27; 9:12, 26-28; 10:10-12).
This “Eucharistic sacrifice” is not Jesus. It is a REPLACEMENT of Him. Catholics, please let that sink in.
Conclusion
The ritual of communion (partaking
of the bread and wine) is to point to the
gospel message and to emphasize
what Jesus did on the cross, and not to point to the elements (bread and wine) themselves (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). That would be missing the point. If you want His “maximum presence” on earth,
do what Jesus said to do:
For where two or three are gathered
together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)
That’s how he is present on
earth after His ascension to Heaven. He
would be with us spiritually.
“But,” the Catholic may
object, “don’t you think that God is certainly able to bring something back
from the past? He has all power. He transcends time. Why would you Protestants think that this is
impossible with God?”
But this is not about God’s
power or ability. Yes, God transcends
time, and yes, He could do this if He
wanted to, but the question is not “CAN God do this?” The question is, “What is God really saying
here concerning communion?” And Jesus
gives us the answer all along, right there in the context:
“Do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19)
That’s it, folks. He simply wants us to ever be mindful of the
incredible work that He did on the cross.
The event of Calvary is the apex of all human history. He paid the penalty for OUR sins there. And for those people who embrace this truth,
and trust in this work alone, and are
humble enough to surrender to His will, He gives eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
See also these articles on
the Eucharist:
